Artmantic Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 I was just wondering how much money your cars are costing you. Im talking about upgrades and everything Im 16 and Im suppose to be buying a 240z (probably in not that good of a condition) this upcoming spring and I plan on doing a swap to either an sr20det or rb25det, suspension, and brakes. (would I be done there?) My dad said he'd go halves with me on parts All of the body work/paint I plan on doing on my own. It may just be me but it seems like everyone fixing up a Z has cash and is most likely a mechanic. So would buying this car be a bad idea for someone making minimum wage? 240z's are one of my favorite cars ever btw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 Well I got my car when I was 11 and have spent like $8000 over the last 5-6 years. I havent had a steady job and just have been selling parts, working for my grandparents, and doing odd jobs for any and everyone. Overall If your careful with your money you can do alot, doing body work yourself really helps. But going for a swap of one of the motors you listed gets pretty spendy even if your a skilled welder/fabricator. Also if you go through the suspension and brakes when you get it the parts add up.. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=138753 I still havent gotten new pads which will be like ~$100. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BurnoutZ Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 Well I've already spent over 10,000$ in one year on this thing. And im doing an l28et swap. But Im not doing the body work myself. I'm estimating to spend about 15,000$+ easy by the time im done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skib Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 I got my 240 in good enough shape to be a DD for 1,800 and have done 95% of the body work, swapped in an L26 and am rebuilding an L28et in the garage. So far Iv spent in the ballpark of 2,800 including the cost of the car. but my full parts list come out to about 6k-7k for the final cost. Im not a mechanic and definatly don't have a lot of cash. Spend hours and hours reading every bit of information and you can soak up here, almost everything you could ever want to know is at the mere click of the search button, anything else can be answered by someone here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rustyfriend Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 I bought my freshly repainted Z that was a Florida car for $3800. I have since spent about $3000 or more in upgrades and there are several more thousands of dollars already planned out to go into the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmanout84 Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 Since I got out of the military, I've spent the remaining two paychecks worth of money entirely on the car. Most of it has gone into purchasing tools, chemicals and paint. The remainder was spent on a suspension overhaul, a new front lip (late night purchase after one-too-many), performance coil (not installed), L28ET motor (not installed), rear disc brake conversion, and most recently a new exhaust system. I don't want to do the math in my head or even on paper, but I guess the figure is somewhere around $3000. All the work has been done by me, in my garage. The car used to run, but this year it aquired some strange electrical gremlin that's preventing spark. So as of now and the forseeable future, its on jacks in the garage. The car originally cost me $1600 and it was bought in California. There was no rust on it but a small amount of surface (that has changed since I moved it here). Since you're around the great lakes area, the concentration of road salts may be even higher than here in New England, so more than likely if you buy a Z you will have your work cut out for you in terms of killing the rust. Sure, you could ignore it and just slap on some aftermarket parts, save yourself a little money. But it will destroy all you've worked for in the car down the road. If you're into buying a Z as your first car, if you can find one over there, try to make preserving the body a priority. The car is decently quick enough to start out with, and once you've killed the rust (or at least made it dormant), then start making it a real beast! Hopefully you already have the tools or know of somewhere to borrow them, this will save you a lot. At that point you'll easily have a leg up on me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmanout84 Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 Oh yeah, and not long ago I was going down the same road looking at getting an RB or SR motor. If that's really your goal, look into the hidden costs of it. The motor alone is going to run you $1500 plus, and after that purchase you have to look into how much its going to cost for the mounts, wiring, electronics, etc to make it work. Great plan for down the road, but I'd familiarize yourself with the car first, and see what condition its in. Personally, even though I'm broke and barely scraping by for money right now, I think I made a better choice killing the rust, repainting the suspension and refurbishing it than I would have just buying an RB from here in the states and slapping it in the car. Maybe I shouldn't have bought the L28ET but it has a turbo and its shiny and I couldn't resist. Now it sits on the floor of my garage waiting. Insider tip: get out of highschool, join the military. Finagle your way into getting stationed in Japan. Buy an RB or SR over there and ship it home when you complete your tour. Much cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artmantic Posted October 6, 2008 Author Share Posted October 6, 2008 Oh yeah, and not long ago I was going down the same road looking at getting an RB or SR motor. If that's really your goal, look into the hidden costs of it. The motor alone is going to run you $1500 plus, and after that purchase you have to look into how much its going to cost for the mounts, wiring, electronics, etc to make it work. Great plan for down the road, but I'd familiarize yourself with the car first, and see what condition its in. Personally, even though I'm broke and barely scraping by for money right now, I think I made a better choice killing the rust, repainting the suspension and refurbishing it than I would have just buying an RB from here in the states and slapping it in the car. Maybe I shouldn't have bought the L28ET but it has a turbo and its shiny and I couldn't resist. Now it sits on the floor of my garage waiting. Insider tip: get out of highschool, join the military. Finagle your way into getting stationed in Japan. Buy an RB or SR over there and ship it home when you complete your tour. Much cheaper. hahah i dont know about that last thing you said. im thinking im just going to go to a trade school but how much does all that extra stuff really cost for the engine? also my buddy has friends that have done swaps before and he said theyd be interested in helping me with this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calgary280ZT Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 I've spent $14k over the past 2.5 years. I'll be spending another $5k on a suspenson next year. By the time it's all done I'll have $25k or $30k into the car...but it's my daily driver and I drive from Calgary to the States all the time, 30k to 40k miles a year, so the car pays for itself and then some. There are plenty of guys on this forum who have spent way more than me....and lots of have spent way less. The Z cars are great that way. You can have a nice sports car for cheap or you can go all out and have a nicer sports car for $$$$$$$. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skib Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 There are plenty of guys on this forum who have spent way more than me....and lots of have spent way less. The Z cars are great that way. You can have a nice sports car for cheap or you can go all out and have a nicer sports car for $$$$$$$. that really is the beauty of it, mines a relatively low cost build but it will be a good looking street car that will be laying down enough HP to have fun at the track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CArFAn Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 73 240z 100$, put 2,348.89 into not inluding gas. 81 280zx Fairlady 400$, put 0$ into it so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rustyfriend Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 and that's the beauty of a Z, you can spend less than $10k and have a car that performs better than a new '08 model economy sports car like a 350z or similar. Not to mention that insurance is dirt cheap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmanout84 Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 Very true, for all the recent posts. I love this car to death, which I why she's stayed wrapped up in a cocoon at my parents house the entire time I was overseas. I have no intention of selling the car, unless my life depends on it. Unless they're in hiding somewhere, I have the only Z I know of in town. To put it simply, the car is Awesome. (70's marketing reference intended) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue72 Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 I don't even want to know at this point. I have kept all of the receipts so far, and input them into a spreadsheet. What has made mine so expensive is the fact that I basically bought a parts car and resurrected it. So far I have replaced, rebuilt, or modified every mechanical component on the vehicle. Now it just lacks paint. I even have the paint and weatherstripping, just need time and a place to finish the body work. So, to answer your question. A year and a half ago I towed home a $900 non running '72 with an L24E, destroyed interior and a flaking 15 year old respray. More than 10x as much money later, I have a great street car that looks horrible from the outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferrariferg Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 I'm barely even started on my 280zx. I got the car for an awesome deal that I couldn't pass up. But the little things just to get it working right is where the money goes. I think I have spent about $500 (Probably much more than that) just on getting everything working (Which I'm still working on) and a couple small upgrades. Still have big plans for the car though. I plan to spend about 10-15K in total by the time I'm done. It definitely helps to have people that can help you with things. My dad is a machinist so he can make me some bits and pieces which saves money. Make sure you buy a repair manual. They are VERY useful. Can't count the number of times its saved me time and money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmanout84 Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 I don't even want to know at this point. I have kept all of the receipts so far, and input them into a spreadsheet. What has made mine so expensive is the fact that I basically bought a parts car and resurrected it. So far I have replaced, rebuilt, or modified every mechanical component on the vehicle. Now it just lacks paint. I even have the paint and weatherstripping, just need time and a place to finish the body work.So, to answer your question. A year and a half ago I towed home a $900 non running '72 with an L24E, destroyed interior and a flaking 15 year old respray. More than 10x as much money later, I have a great street car that looks horrible from the outside. So encouraging for our new Z enthusiast! Lol!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin.pk Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 I bought my car for $500 out of a junkyard and have spent about $11K in parts right now. I did the body work, so that made things slightly cheaper. It still needs the interior finished out though. It could have probably been done cheaper with better planning. An engine swap is no small undertaking financially. A build can quickly snowball if you don't budget wisely, and it will still cost more than anticipated. Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 Over the last 22 years I've sunk a growing fortune into these cars. I'd recommend a couple of things that will help you understand better the kinds of things you should be considering... These cars can be a lot of fun, but need help in a few areas. If you get one that is running, The last thing I'd plan is a swap, until you have had time to enjoy it for a while. I'm helping another member on here, Joe, with his Zcar project, and the last thing you want to do is take the car off the road for a considerably long period of time. It will kill your momentum. So focus on projects that can be tackles in a weekend... Joe and I have talked about this subject a bit, since he's been over a year since he took his car off road for paint/body work and a brake/suspension upgrade. He's just now getting it back on the road, debugging it and he knows all to well what I'm talking about with regards to losing interest and momentum. Easy things to "repair/upgrade"... Suspension Bushings... They'll be old and cracked, unless they've been upgraded. They're easily a weekend job with the right tools. Brakes... Change the fluids and check the pads/shoes. Also look for dry rot in the rubber lines or leaks at the master cylinder rod in the brake pedal/firewall area. Clutch Hydraulics... Check for leaks in the clutch pedal/firewall area and the slave cylinder. Drive the car stock and enjoy it for a while. learn why we all fell in love with the car first... If you troll here enough you'll find more non-running Zs in the midst of "transformation" that never see the light of day (*mine included) and this will kill your momentum and break your spirit. Remember, it's a car and should be driven, not left to sit and be pushed around for years while you "finish it". And don't let your buddies talk you into a swap. Make sure you understand every aspect of what will be required, and every part needed before you commit. Make a budget and then double it, and then double check that... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffer949 Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 Id say i have aroune 12K into mine but 4K of that was from an insurance check that got me new wheels and tires and my new paint job that i just did. Basically i spent the labor part of the check on wheels lol. I completely agree with the do things you can get done quickly. My car has come along way in the past 2 years. And its been because ive always tackled things in small steps. Only start one project at a time. Dont start doing paint and then dive into the suspension. Finish the paint and drive it a round for a bit. Then do your suspension. Thats what has kept me motivated to keep working on my car. Those few weeks or months in between projects where you just get to enjoy your car. If your planning a swap. Do not pull your motor untill you have EVERYTHING you need. Dont pull your motor just because you have the engine. There is so much more to it than that. Make a list and start collecting parts. and make sure you have everything. I can tstress this enough. I had to wait a week when i swapped my l28et in because i forgot to order a dizzy cap. Do you know how frustrating that is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corzette Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 At least $50,000 in all three and only getting started. Wouldn't change a thing....can't take anything with you when your gone...enjoy your life! CorZette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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